A teenage girl reflects on her emotional growth, remembering episodes in which her love, fear, anger were not always under control, and decides not to go "park" with her boyfriend.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Knickerbocker Productions
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Social guidance; Psychology; Sex education

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: JayKay49 - - December 28, 2011
Subject: No Casualties
Whew! A hymen lives to see another day.

That dog is overfed.

Reviewer: archimed - - July 26, 2006
Subject: downlod
i want to downalod yhis film but i can't what i do?

Reviewer: ERD - - July 14, 2006
Subject: A 1950's idealistic film.
A lot of 1950's idealism. Everything in Sally's life seems so perfect and uncomplicated- her parents, a nice secure home, etc. All these factor lend to make this bright girl ease into emotional maturity. She really doesn't have any serious problems to worry about.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - July 31, 2005
Subject: I hate animals! (kick)
Towards Emotional Maturity tells of the psychological maturing of Sally, a senior in high school. A narrator, who sounds suspiciously like the one in ÃÂÃÂHabit PatternsÃÂÃÂ, (and Betty looks a lot like the character in Habit Patterns too) teaches us how Betty got to be this way, itÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs a combination of several things. Her Psychology playing that hilarious game, ÃÂÃÂWhatÃÂÃÂs In The Box?ÃÂÃÂ ItÃÂÃÂs a snake! Yikes! Sally gets so scared she trips over a desk. The teacher remarkably doesnÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂt really do anything except put the desk back calmly. Such a thing wouldÃÂÃÂnt dare to be tried today. ThereÃÂÃÂs another box, who wants to see whats in there? I guessed there would be puppies.. and I was right!
The next incident is even more jaw dropping, as Sally is walking her dog, when she thinks she sees her boyfriend riding to close to a girl she doesnÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂt recognize. In a rage, she starts taking it out on the DOG! Yanking and pulling on the leash! Awwwwww! Honestly, IÃÂÃÂve been seeing a lot of very odd animal cruelty in these films lately.. WhatÃÂÃÂs going on?
Sally learns to control her emotions finally, and figures that going to neck isnÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂt such a great idea. Sheesh. Spoilsport!
As with all the knickerbockers productions, this is somewhat gloomy and strange. So of course this is recommended!

Reviewer: Marysz - - May 15, 2004
Subject: Why So Angry?
A film that uses simple talk about emotions to get teenagers to control their behavior. Sally has to decide whether or not to ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂneckÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ with boyfriend Hank at Mountain Park after a school dance. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂYou could have impulsively said yes. Why didnÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂt you, Sally?ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ asks the overbearing female narrator (probably the same narrator as ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂHabit PatternsÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ). We see, in flashbacks, how Sally has experienced strong emotions. She joins a group of students who vandalize a teacherÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house after a school bonfire. ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂYou saw how hysteria turns individuals into a mob,ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ the narrator says. Since America was still under the grip of McCarthyism in 1954 when this film was made, this scene could have been a piece of covert political protest. We see a few other scenes of an angry SallyÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂmad at Hank when she thinks heÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs unfaithful and lunging at a girl in fencing class. She does have quite a temper. No wonder her mom puts a white hankie on a broomstick and waves it through her bedroom door to make peace with her. Why were adults so afraid of teenagers and worried about juvenile delinquency in the fifties? Fighting in World War II and defeating Hitler should have been perfect preparation for dealing with unruly adolescents. SallyÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs teacher brings two wooden boxes to class and pontificates about the ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂfascination with locked places and hidden things.ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ The ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂunreasoning, illogical emotionsÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ that the film claims the teenagers felt were really the emotions adults were experiencing in postwar America. The mindless anti-communism and bland conformity of the times was their way of trying to keep it locked away.

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - December 22, 2002
Subject: Toward Emotional Maturity
Teenaged Sally gains "maturity" by learning how dangerous emotions can be. This film hints much more strongly at the real teen problems underlying the "social guidance" movement. In particular, there's a disturbing scene of teens dancing around a bonfire at a pep rally that looks more like a Ku Klux Klan meeting. After a whispered rumor gains momentum, the teens vandalize the home of a disliked teacher, but the whole scene feels uglier than that. The whole point of the film seems to be that emotions are dangerous and should be tightly controlled. The makers seem to think that emotions are the cause of juvenile delinquency. This film is a lot less pat than most of the "social guidance" films of the 50's and the underlying adult fears are a lot closer to the surface. NOTE: Watch for the stars of other films on this list in Sally's psych classÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂBarbara from Habit Patterns is definitely there, and I could swear I caught a glimpse of the skinny kid from Money Talks, too.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****. Also available on Our Secret Century, Vol. 3: The Behavior Offensive.

Shotlist

TEENAGE GIRL FACING DECISION INVOLVING BOY FRIEND & PARENTS ILLUSTRATES EMOTIONAL GROWTH. GIRL REMEMBERS EPISODES FROM EARLY LIFE IN WHICH LOVE, FEAR, HATE WERE NOT ALWAYS CONTROLLED & IS THEN ABLE TO MAKE MATURE DECISION.
We travel to an enlightened, overgrown suburb where high-school kids discuss emotional maturation in psychology class. "The last big dance of the year is over. It's a lovely warm spring night, the air is so soft, and Hank is such a nice guy." Sally and Hank are out for a drive. Evidently Hank wants to take the back road, and Sally isn't ready to decide just yet.
Toward Emotional Maturity is set in exactly the same affluent milieu as Habit Patterns, and Barbara (the girl with the bad habits) even sits in Sally's psych class. Although this film, narrated by the same woman's voice, expresses itself much more delicately than Habit Patterns, the suppressed emotions here are much more intense and vicious than Habit's chorus of nasty gossips.
The entire film is bracketed by a sexual conflict: Sally and Hank's negotiation whether to pet or not to pet, dramatized by an intersection between a lighted road and a dark country lane. Luckily, Sally doesn't feel ready to deal with uncontrollable emotion and Hank, being the nice guy that Hank is, lets her be the boss. There's a vision of hate-ridden mob activity, a theme constantly present in Fifties literature about the youth culture. The silhouettes of kids are shown dancing in front of a rally bonfire as if they were Ku Klux Klan terrorists, and then a rumor (which is never made explicit; draw your own conclusions) is circulated about a teacher, and his house is stoned by a roving band of kids. While fencing with a friend, Sally's emotions get carried away and strikes as if to attack her; she is nauseated by this and has to leave the gym. At the same time Sally's fear of snakes is primal enough that she overturns her school desk. These are truly dark forces at work here, the kind of energy that made its way into countless Hollywood "J.D." motion pictures at that time but was rarely shown in sugarcoated educational films.
There's no doubt that Sally will grow into a fine, upstanding young woman, but it certainly seems as if she has a great deal of emotional baggage to overcome along the way.


Teenage Girl, Boyfriend, psychology emotions maturity adolescence teenagers dating sports parents high school dances Social guidance
Danger Lurks Safety
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